UW-Whitewater was one of just a couple of teams to kick off its season the first Friday in September, and Division III ended the year with that same team on top exactly 15 weeks later.

The Warhawks dealt Waldorf, an NAIA program, a 73-7 loss in that opener, and they capped a title-defending run against Mount Union 43-34.

But while there’s inherent excitement in the beginnings and the ends of things, it’s the week-to-week thrills that kept us engaged in the 244 teams across the country.

There were many memorable moments from the 2014 season, and though not all of them can be covered in this space, many of them coast to coast are revisited. (Don’t hesitate to use the comments below to highlight teams and performances you would like to add.)

Do you remember when... ?

Bryan Peterson threw 83 passes without an interception for Whitworth in a game this season. Photo by Kelly Bird for Linfield athletics

In a season of standout statistical achievements, do you remember when:

• ... Whitworth’s Bryan Peterson set Division III single-game passing records? Peterson had a whopping 83 passing attempts, and not a single one of those landed in the arms of a defender. On top of that, he connected for six touchdowns and 580 yards, the yardage total leaving him second for the year to Rose-Hulman’s Austin Swenson, who had 603 yards in a 74-68 win over Illinois College that grew to three overtimes.

• ... Montclair State’s Eric Gargiulo had five interceptions in one game? The free safety plucked the ball away from NJAC newcomer Southern Virginia five times, which was more than anyone else did to any team this year. Doing so tied an NCAA record. But he was challenged for that honor – Gargiulo’s teammate C.J. Conway managed four picks later in the season against Cortland State.

• ... the Wesley kicker who had never played high school or collegiate football before went 8-for-8 on PATs? Eric Speidel was a third baseman for the Wolverines baseball team and was a ball boy just a couple of weeks before his playing debut against Louisiana College.

• ... the Denison receiver had people searching for the record books with his standout performance? DuShawn Brown, who had already broken the Big Red’s single-game receiving record, blew past the school’s single-season mark, too, with a 339-yard outing against Allegheny. The game put him at the eighth-best game in Division III history.

• ... the pick-6’s went the length of the field? Three players – Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Eric Allen, Carroll’s Ryan Klapper and Heidelberg’s Clay Staib – each tallied interception returns of 100 yards.

In the narrative that defines Division III, do you remember when:

• ... the Wildcats gave off that “Team of Destiny” vibe? While Linfield’s run deep into the postseason was surely impressive, the backstory to the season was tragic. Hours after Linfield’s final regular-season game, sophomore linebacker Parker Moore was killed in an attack at a convenience store. “Parker embodied everything that is good,” coach Joe Smith said. “He was a consummate teammate who put everybody first ahead of himself. He was incredibly loyal, a great man of character with a lot of integrity.” Players wore No. 35 stickers – Moore’s number – on the back of their helmets for the rest of the season, and the Wildcats outperformed their sadness and beat Chapman, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Widener en route to a loss at Whitewater and a third-place ranking at the end of the season.

• ... a UW-Whitewater icon passed away? The place known as The Perk, Whitewater’s massive stadium, is named after Forrest Perkins, the patriarch of the school’s athletics teams. Perkins died at age 94 on Dec. 13, prior to the team’s game against Linfield. He served as both a coach and administrator – he led the football team for 29 seasons, of which 27 were winning seasons and 11 of them led to conference titles.

• ... we had a couple of two-timers in our midst? By that I mean Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke, who became the first person in history to win the Gagliardi Trophy twice, and UW-Whitewater quarterback Matt Behrendt, who was named both in 2013 and ’14 as the Stagg Bowl’s most outstanding player.

• ... the separation of elite and ultra-elite discussed in a column earlier this year? Linfield made its case, increasing its all-time record to 3-0 against Mary Hardin-Baylor with a win in the national quarterfinals. But we also saw a lot of the same, with Wesley losing to a Stagg Bowl regular and UW-Whitewater and Mount Union proving that they are still the teams to beat in the postseason.

• ... two all-male colleges met on the football field for the first time in history? The Gentleman’s Classic between Wabash and Hampden-Sydney ended with a 34-21 Little Giants victory. But the Tigers get a chance to avenge that loss when Wabash travels to Virginia in 2015 for their second and final planned regular-season meeting.

Macalester's season ended on the field of a No. 1 seed, UW-Whitewater, but they got to compete in the playoffs, which is a lot better than what was envisioned in 2002 when the program nearly folded. Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com

• ... Macalester had the best season it's ever had, in 121 years of college football? The Scots struggled in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference before leaving it to become independent in football after the 2001 season. But in 2014, Mac's first season in the Midwest Conference, the Scots ran the table, winning all eight games vs. conference opponents, including the conference title game vs. Illinois College before losing at UW-Whitewater in the first round of the playoffs.

• ... there were games that never got played? Maranatha Baptist was plagued by a small roster this season – just 30 players at the start of camp. Because of injuries and depth-chart problems brought on by the size of the team, the Sabercats had to cancel games against Division III opponents Concordia-Chicago and Washington U. But they weren’t the only teams to miss out. Pacific and Chicago didn’t play when flights into the Windy City were halted after a fire at an air traffic control center in late September. Lighting prompted the coaches at Southwestern and Hardin-Simmons to agree to cancel their season-opening game despite the fact that play had already begun.

• ... there was one game that needed a second day to complete? Since it was the playoffs, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Texas Lutheran didn’t have a choice but to pick up where they left off after lightning halted their Round 1 matchup. The game began at noon, was suspended for more than six hours at one stretch and finally called off for the day at 9:35 p.m. Play resumed on Sunday, and the final score of 27-20 certainly didn’t mirror the 72-16 score from the previous time these teams met.

• ... there were pockets of parity across the nation? The Empire 8, which was detailed in an Around the Nation column this fall was probably the most prominent example of parity, since even the lower-rung teams made noise from time to time. But wacky ODAC-y didn’t disappoint either, with four teams tying with 5-2 conference records.

• ... that some schools have the littlest supporters? Merchant Marine has “Mighty” Mikey Weinstein, who has a cancer of the brain and spine; Carnegie Mellon has Brock Kitterman, who has a rare eye cancer.

You had to see it to believe it

Yeah, there was some razzle-dazzle at the start of this one, but it’s the spin move at the end that really sells it:

The pass bounces off a defender’s foot – and into the hands of a wideout – to stay alive:

I love a dual-threat quarterback, and Christopher Newport’s Marcus Morrast was one of the best in that role. In a double-overtime outing against Methodist, Morrast’s 310 yards of passing and 191 yards of rushing (with six total touchdowns) was capped with this game-winning play:

By the numbers

In the breakdown of the season’s stats, this year there were:

• 1,263 games played,

• 399,424 net rushing yards,

• 506,967 passing yards, and

• 8,311 touchdowns scored on offense, 350 on defense and 187 on special teams.

• 12 teams that had perfect records in the regular season. Only two are still that way, national champion Whitewater and NESCAC member Amherst.

• 9 teams that finished the year winless.

• an average of 7,752 people at each St. John’s home game. The Johnnies led the nation in that category, impressive considering Clemens Stadium has a capacity is just 7,482. UW-Whitewater, Hampden-Sydney, Mount Union and St. Thomas round out the Top 5 in attendance.

Other notes and news

Next season, the NJAC is going to undergo a seismic shift, with the addition of Wesley, Christopher Newport, Salisbury and Frostburg State.

And Division III football’s footprint is going to expand into Michigan's Upper Peninsula when Finlandia gets its program up and running. As of this writing, the Lions aren’t yet affiliated with a conference but do plan to start playing games in 2015.

So, how expert were we?

One of the most entertaining (and challenging) parts of D3football.com’s preseason publication is the predictions, during which five of us weigh in and put our skills to the test. This year’s panel consisted of Publisher Pat Coleman, Managing Editor Keith McMillan, Around the Mid-Atlantic Columnist Adam Turer, Around the West Columnist Josh Smith and me in my first year of writing the Around the Nation column.

Mind you everyone’s picks for the 20 questions were made independently of one another. I’ll help you keep score along the way.

Which will be the last team chosen in Pool C, and what will their record be?

The bottom line here, we may never know the definitive answer – it comes down to either Muhlenberg or St. Thomas, depending on how the committee weighted the criteria. In the predictions, Josh and I picked Pacific Lutheran, which had only two losses but fell to third place in the NWC. Keith guessed Cortland State to turn in an 8-2 season, though the Red Dragons stumbled to a .500 record. Adam went with St. John’s, which was in the right conference and did become a playoff team, albeit as a Pool A selection. The only person who possibly got the team right was Pat, by picking St. Thomas. He missed the record though, predicting the Tommies would go 9-1 when they were, in fact, close at 8-2.

Pat: Half a point.

Which team will be the most surprising playoff entry?

My pick of Benedictine, which was 6-4 in the regular season and got the NACC’s automatic qualifier, had the worst record of any playoff team. They were probably the most surprising squad to make the 32-team field, and were promptly dealt a 43-14 first-round exit at the hands of Wheaton. In choosing Chapman, Pat was the only other person on the panel to pick a team that made the playoffs, and while the Panthers’ entry may not have been the most surprising to those close to the team, it was the first time Chapman ever made the playoffs, so it was a valid team to highlight.

Ryan and Pat: One point.

Who will reach the national semifinals?

Every one of us picked UW-Whitewater and Mount Union to make the semifinals, and I named Linfield, while the other four guys picked Wesley. But everyone also had either Mary Hardin-Baylor or North Central in the list, so we all walk away even after this question. The team that took us all by surprise was Wartburg.

Everyone: Three-quarters of a point.

Will UW-Whitewater and Mount Union meet in Stagg Bowl XLII?

The entire panel whiffed here, as we all said no.

No points awarded.

Who will win the national title?

Keith, in choosing Mary Hardin-Baylor, was the only person not to foresee that UW-Whitewater would successfully defend its national title.

Pat, Ryan, Adam and Josh: One point.

Who will be the two Pool B teams?

It was a clean sweep in picking Wesley as the first team. But Josh, Adam and I took Millsaps (which limped to a 3-6 mark) as the second team, Keith had 4-6 Trinity, and Pat had 7-3 Western Connecticut. The other Pool B selection was Texas Lutheran, whose only two losses of the season came against Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Everyone: Half a point.

Which Pool B gets left out?

Though we didn’t know it at the time, this was somewhat of a trick question. Centre went undefeated in the regular season and wasn’t selected in Pool B. However, they weren’t left out of the field either, being welcomed as an at-large team. Josh and Pat guessed Washington U. for this category, Adam had Texas Lutheran and Keith had Millsaps. But I was the only one to pick Framingham State, who despite a 9-1 mark on Section Sunday, was the top Pool B team that didn’t get to join the playoff field.

Ryan: One point.

Which 2013 playoff team will have the worst fall-off, record-wise?

Redlands, Framingham State, Illinois Wesleyan and Maryville were all mentioned here, but Pat nailed it with Gallaudet. The Bison finished 2013 with a 9-2 record and were one-and-done that year in the postseason. This year, however, they fell way back to a 2-7 record.

Pat: One point.

Which team will have the best improvement over its 2013 record?

Several teams had four-win improvements, a couple had five wins more than 2013, but only two teams, Castleton State and Morrisville State, were six wins better than they were last fall. While four of the five of us picked the stagnant likes of Cal Lutheran, Susquehanna, Misericordia and Coast Guard, Pat was on the nose with Castleton State.

Pat: One point.

Does UW-Whitewater's Brady Grayvold have more interceptions this regular season than the six he had in the playoffs last year?

Everyone on the panel said no – and everyone was correct. Grayvold had six interceptions this regular season to match, not beat, his 2013 playoff total.

Everyone: One point.

Who will be the D3football.com offensive and defensive players of the year?

Offensively, Whitewater’s Matt Behrendt, Hampden-Sydney’s Nash Nance, Heidelberg’s Cartel Brooks and Mount Union’s Kevin Burke were all players chosen by the crew. While Burke became the first person ever to win back-to-back Gagliardi Trophies (an honor that’s about more than straight-up athletic performance), he wasn’t picked as the player of the year. That selection went to Whitewater wide receiver Jake Kumerow. Defensively, the whole panel chose Wesley’s Sosthene Kapepula, who was a first-team All-American, but not the DPOY. Hobart lineman Tyre Coleman (repeatedly noted as being of no relation to D3football.com’s publisher) earned the top defensive honor.

No points awarded.

Last season, there were two 450-plus yard rushing games and a 633-yard passing game. Who will rush for and throw for the most yards in a single game this season?

For the ground game, I went with Heidelberg’s Cartel Brooks, whose best game was a 263-yard effort. The rest of the folks chose Thomas More’s Domonique Hayden, who had the second-best game this season with a 336-yard September outing against Westminster. But it was Willamette’s Dylan Jones who had 350 yards against Whitworth for the season’s best rushing game. The passing picks consisted of UW-Platteville’s Dryce Corrigan, LaGrange’s Graham Craig, Methodist’s Max Reber and John Carroll’s Mark Myers. Reber was the highest among that group with a 480-yard game, but it was Rose-Hulman’s Austin Swenson who topped 600 yards on Sept. 13 in a triple overtime outing to take the top spot.

No points awarded.

Will Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke become the first player to repeat as Gagliardi Trophy winner?

Adam, Josh and I said no, but Gagliardi Trophy voting panelists Pat and Keith said yes. The result, of course, was yes. Fishy? Nah. Burke absolutely deserved it.

Pat and Keith: One point.

Who will win the MAC?

Adam went with Albright, who finished the year 6-5; the rest of us chose Lycoming, which wound up 8-2. However, the conference’s top two teams (and its playoff representatives) were Widener and Delaware Valley, with Widener getting the conference crown after their Week 11 matchup.

No points awarded.

How many PAC wins will Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve combine for?

I chose nine, Keith pegged eight, and Josh, Adam and Pat went with seven. The actual number was a mere six, and that includes the game they played against each other.

No points awarded.

Which team that went 0-10 in 2013 will win the most games?

Josh and I nailed the correct pick of UW-River Falls, a team that has long been near the bottom of the toughest conference in the nation. However, this season saw the Falcons get three wins, something they haven’t done for half a decade. Other picks were Southwestern and Allegheny, which each had just one win this season.

Josh and Ryan: One point.

Which program will pull a North Park-like improvement under its new coach?

This is a tough one to gauge because they’re a bit of subjectivity as to what a North Park-like improvement means. But for starters, Keith, Pat and I rang in with a thud by picking winless Hamilton. So we’re not even factors. Adam’s Averett looked like it was off to a good start by beating Washington and Lee in the opener, but the Cougars had just one more win (over conference-mate Methodist) after that week. Josh’s Beloit had a three-win season, but none of them were conference wins. North Park’s recent surge is based largely breaking a long conference-game drought. Of the teams we picked, only Adam picked a team that won a conference game. Still, I wouldn’t call it a significant turnaround. He gets a slice of a point for being closest, though not on the mark.

Adam: Half a point.

Deion Jones picked off North Central twice in the Pointers' upset win vs. the Cardinals. UW-Stevens Point athletics photo by Jack McLaughlin

What will be the most surprising upset of the season?

Keith was close by picking Chapman to beat Linfield, which almost happened in the regular season. But the only pick that actually materialized in an upset was Pat’s UW-Stevens Point choice over North Central, which happened early in the season and helped to redefine much of what we thought about these two teams. The Pointers had 15 third-quarter points en route to the 34-27 win.

Pat: One point.

And lastly, will you give us a one-sentence prediction we're unlikely to see anywhere else?

Some had more fun with this question than others, but the person who really scored with his answer was Pat, who predicted that an independent or Pool B conference will finally get a Pool C bid. Centre came through. (Adam’s prediction pertains to how Division III players will fare in the Draft and in free-agent signings, so the jury is still out on the success of his pick.)

Pat: One point.

The one question I skipped asked for each person’s most-anticipated game. It’s a subjective choice.

How did everyone fare? Well, D3football.com’s guru Pat Coleman is the most expert of the experts, earning 9.75 points on this oh-so-sophisticated scoring system. I slide in at second, notching 6.25 points. Rounding out the panel was Adam with 4.75 points, Josh with 4.25 and Keith with 3.25.

Consider this all in good fun. We all had our peaks and valleys in the predictions, and we hope that you pick up Kickoff 2015 when it becomes available next summer to see what our practiced and prudent prognosticators envision going into that fall.

See you in 2015!